


Ka Hoʻi (The Return)

by sun_moon_and_stars



Series: ʻOhana mau loa (Family forever) [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Crossover, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gen, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 21:44:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sun_moon_and_stars/pseuds/sun_moon_and_stars
Summary: Steve McGarrett has a choice to make.Faced with the murder of his father at the hands of one of his greatest foes, Steve McGarrett returns home to catch his father's killer. When he arrives back home after many long years away, he learns that things don't always stay the same. With his girlfriend in the hospital, and Victor Hesse on the run somewhere on the Island, Steve comes face-to-face with a choice - does he allow the conflict of interest between him and Kailea to tear them apart, or does he use this newfound partnership to his advantage?





	Ka Hoʻi (The Return)

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my Hawaii Five-0 series rewrite fic! This is the first part of a crossover collaboration that I will be writing with my best friend.

_Oahu_ _ , Hawaii; September 20, 2010 _

Kailea Kekoa sat her phone down on the dashboard as she drove down the empty street, anxiously waiting for her best friend to answer the call. She was on her way to surprise her boyfriend’s father for the afternoon; both she and John McGarrett had been missing Steve more than either of them cared to admit lately, and she knew dropping in for a visit would greatly lift the older man’s spirits. After what felt like an eternity waiting for Ash to pick up, the other woman’s sunny voice rang out into the cab of the blue pickup truck. 

_ “ _ Kayla _ , to what do I owe the pleasure?” Ash said with a giggle, knowing Kailea would most definitely groan in displeasure at the nickname. _

“Honestly, Ash, it’s been how many years now? How long are you going to keep calling me that?” Kailea replied, slightly shaking her head as she continued down the street. 

_ “Mmm, as long as you answer to it. Anyway, what’s up?” _

“Nothing much, just thought I would call and let you know I’ll be a bit late to dinner. I’m stopping by to see John; it’s been rough on us both without knowing where Steve is these days.” 

_ “Ah, no problem, KK. Just text me when you’re on your way, I’ll have a Mai Tai waiting with your name on it. And tell John I said hello.” _

“Tell him yourself, I just pulled up. Hold on, let me get inside.” Kailea said. She parked just outside of the house and turned off the truck. Getting out, she grabbed her bag from the bed of the truck and turned toward the house. With her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, she slowly approached the back door and let herself in. Gently sliding the door shut behind her, she made her way to the study where she knew John would be sitting. “John? Surprise, it’s Kailea. Ash is on the phone, she wanted to say hi. We’re meeting for dinner but I wanted to stop by and see you first. John?” 

“Then so is your father,” muffled voices grew louder as she rounded the corner, Kailea was met with the sound of a gunshot. A spray of blood splattered the front of her body, and a hard _ thud _ could be heard as John fell dead at her feet. Kailea stared down at the body in front of her in stunned silence; she was covered in blood, his blood, _ John’s blood. _

She barely had time to process the fact that she’d just witnessed the murder of her boyfriend’s father, when the man who had shot him turned his attention to her. She recognized him as Victor Hesse, she’d heard bits and pieces of reports here and there whenever she went in to meet with Governor Jameson. Apparently, the Governor had been trying to track him down for months and now here he stood with his gun drawn on Kailea. 

“John!” She screamed and reached for her sidearm, but her reaction time hadn’t been fast enough. 

Victor Hesse beat her to the punch and before she could retrieve her gun from its place on her hip, he’d already pulled the trigger on his. Hesse fired three shots; the first bullet pierced through Kailea’s right shoulder, the second and third sank somewhere deep into her abdomen.

Kailea’s hands went to the wounds on her torso, her fingers quickly becoming coated in her own blood as well as that of John McGarrett’s. Her vision slowly began to cloud; she could hear Ash’s voice calling her name through the speaker on her phone, screaming sentences out into the stillness that her brain struggled to register. The woman’s awareness of sound faded into a dim pulsing inside her head, beating against her skull in time with her heart. 

Kailea slowly fell to her knees, eyes locked on the body a few feet away from her. Then, the vast expanse of nothingness began to take over as Hesse used the toe of his shoe to push her over, content to leave her laying in the quick-forming pool of blood around her. The last thing Kailea remembered before succumbing to the chilling pull of darkness, was the vague shadow of a body pulling her through the front door of the McGarrett house. John left in a crumpled heap on the floor. 

~ ~ ~ 

_ Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; 2010 _

Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett stood with his eyes trained over the horizon as he waited for Governor Pat Jameson to arrive, back in the one place he hadn’t set foot on in years; home. His visit, however, was not one of pleasure but of business and sorrow, Steve only had one thing in mind, laying his late father to rest and catching the son of a bitch who put him there. His heart was heavy as he once again stood on the ground on the island of Oahu where both his grandfather had been killed at Pearl Harbor and his father murdered in his own home in Honolulu, going over all of the reasons in his mind for why he needed to do this. A voice behind him put pause to the swirling thoughts and emotions deep inside and pulled him back to the present moment. 

“Commander,” Governor Jameson called to him. She approached slowly, her blonde hair flying in the wind, gaze locked on the face of the man before her. There was a calm yet sad expression settled in her eyes. 

“Governor,” Steve answered, turning to greet the woman. He grasped her outstretched hand in his own, offering a firm handshake. He’d prepared himself to hear what she had to say, though he would much rather get on with his business. 

“Thanks for agreeing to see me. I’m sorry about your loss.” The sincerity in her voice caused Steve to recoil slightly, though she didn’t seem to notice. 

He took a breath in, glancing around them before turning his attention back to the Governor. Never one to dance around the bush, he went straight to the point. “Is this about the investigation?” 

“Yes. We have alerts across all the islands.” 

“You won’t find Victor Hesse with roadblocks and search warrants. He’s gone underground until he can find a safe way to leave the island. Now why am I here?” 

“I’d like to help you get what you came back here for. Let’s walk.” 

Steve carefully tucked his cap into the crook of his left arm and followed after the Governor. She led him back through the base, continuing her explanation. “Your father’s death was a wake-up call to me and every law enforcement agency in Hawaii, which is why I’m putting together a task force and I want you to run it.” 

“You don’t even know me,” he said, not bothering to look at her. Working with the locals on the Governor’s dime wasn’t what Steve had in mind for how to spend his time back home. He had a goal, catch Victor Hesse and put him away for the murder of his father, John McGarrett. Now, whether putting him away was rotting in a jail cell or buried six feet underground in the middle of nowhere, would be entirely up to Hesse. 

“I know your resume. Annapolis. Five years, Naval Intelligence. Six years with the SEALs. Your superiors say that you are the best that they have ever seen.” Governor Jameson recalled. 

“Let me stop you right there.” Steve’s voice was firm, causing the Governor to turn to face him. He stopped walking. “I’ve been tracking Victor Hesse for five years. If he was bold enough to surface, I promise you, he already has an exit strategy planned and he knows I know it. Which means I can barely afford the hour it’s gonna take to bury my father, let alone, stand here talking to you. Excuse me.” He placed his cap back on top of his head and gave her a curt nod, stepping past her without another word. 

The Governor turned, calling out to Steve’s retreating form. “I can help you find this son of a bitch. With full immunity and means. Your task force will have blanket authority to go after guys like Hesse and get them the hell off my island.” She approached him again with a strong determination in her steps. “Your rules, my backing, no red tape. And I promise you, Commander, what you see with me is what you get.” 

“Here’s what I see, an election year coming up and a politician who needs the PR, who’s willing to do whatever it takes—including bringing me down here to Pearl Harbor, where my grandfather was killed—so I might feel some kind of obligation to fulfill my family destiny. Is that about right, Governor?” 

“None of those things make me feel less responsible. I knew your father, Commander. This is personal for me, too.” 

“Pass.” 

The Governor reached into the pocket of her jacket. “All right. Here’s my personal number. Please, think it over. Thanks.” She turned to walk away, leaving Steve alone with her words ringing in his ears. 

“She’s a smart lady, that one.” A man called out behind him, drawing his attention to the small building across the way. The sign above the door read Sliders Grill. “Steve McGarrett, right?” 

“I know you,” Steve said, turning as the man approached. 

“You better. Chin Ho Kelly,” he greeted with a smile. 

“Oh, Chin Ho Kelly.” Realization spread across the hardened man’s face in the form of a smile as he shook the hand of the man he had known long ago. “Kukui High School. You were a great quarterback.” 

“Oh, that’s very kind of you to say, considering you were the one that broke all of my records.” Chin quipped. 

“Oh, that was a long time ago. I heard you became a cop.” 

“I worked with your father in the Seventh. He taught me everything I know about wearing a badge.” 

“Looks like you moved on to greener pastures.” 

“Well, let’s just say the Honolulu PD and I had a disagreement over my job description.” Chin stated as the two of them walked along the harbor. “But your father understood. He was very good to me after I was let go. He stayed my friend and I know that cost him something. I only wish there was some way I could pay him back. But now that you’re here, maybe you can do something.” 

Steve looked over at his longtime friend. “What do you mean?” 

“I hear the chief of police put a _ haole _ on your father’s murder investigation. Word is he’s fresh meat from the mainland, which means he has no clue how this island works.” Chin’s answer had the gears in Steve’s mind turning once more. 

Both men turned to continue walking, stopping again when the shrill sound of Steve’s phone ringing cut through the air. He pulled the device from his pocket and glanced at the screen, the call was from a number he didn’t recognize, but had received multiple calls from days prior. He politely excused himself from his conversation with Chin and answered the phone. “Hello?” 

_ “Is this Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett?” A woman with a feminine, alto voice greeted on the other end of the line. _

“Who is this? How’d you get this number?” Steve replied with caution. He swept his eyes across the pier, looking for any sign of Victor Hesse’s men. 

_ “That’s unimportant,” the woman continued. “Listen, I’m calling because someone we both care about is in the hospital and we are listed as her emergency contacts. When they couldn’t get ahold of you, they called me, but I don’t have all of the answers and you’re listed as her next of kin. If there’s any way that you can get back here to be with her... She’s at Tripler Army Medical Center. Steve, Kailea needs you.” _

The call ended and Steve looked like he’d seen a ghost. Clutching his phone in his fist, he swallowed thickly, trying and failing to wrap his mind around the information he’d just received. Steve found himself plagued with many unanswered questions, the most important ones being what the hell had happened to Kailea since he’d last spoken to her and why was she at the Army hospital. His complexion paled as he sifted through the millions of possibilities. 

Noticing his friend’s sudden change in behavior, Chin carefully reached forward and touched Steve on the shoulder. “Steve, is everything alright?” 

The Commander shook his head, “It’s Kailea, she’s in the hospital. I have to go...” 

“Of course, go. Please, keep me updated when you know more.” Chin nodded his understanding and watched as Steve quickly made his way back down the pier. 

~ 

Steve was breathless as he ran from the taxi cab to the doors of the hospital’s Emergency Room, he had no idea what he was even looking for, he only knew that he needed to get to Kailea. He removed his cap and tucked it back under his arm, stopping at the desk long enough to catch his breath. He ignored the voice in his head telling him to slow down and think rationally, Steve’s main concern was finding his way to her. 

The disgruntled Commander all but tossed his cap on to the surface of the counter, startling the young woman behind the desk. He acknowledged his error with a sheepish apologetic nod, then did his best to pull himself together. “I’m looking for information on a patient here, a woman.” 

“Of course, Sir. What’s the patient’s name?” The woman asked with a polite smile, a little too polite for Steve’s liking. 

“Kailea Noelle Kekoa. I just received a call saying she was admitted here a few days ago.” Steve had finally swallowed down the rising panic in his chest and was doing his best to remain patient with the receptionist. In truth, Steve hated hospitals, he hated being in them, he hated having to deal with the people in them. And most importantly, he currently hated that he couldn’t pull rank in order to demand the information that he wanted. 

The receptionist frowned at her monitor screen, then glanced back up at the man before her. “It says here that we are only authorized to release information to family, unless you’re the Lieutenant’s Commanding Officer. She’s also not receiving visitors at this time. I’m sorry, Sir, there’s nothing I can do.” 

_ Lieutenant? Commanding Officer? So that’s why she was at Tripler. _Steve’s mind was racing, he pulled his eyebrows together in frustration. Kailea was much better in these kinds of situations than he was. “My name is Lieutenant Commander Steven J. McGarrett, I’m listed as her emergency contact and next of kin. Is there anyone here who can tell me where she is or how she’s doing?” 

At Steve’s admission, the woman behind the desk seemed to straighten up and she gave him an apologetic smile. “Oh, of course, Commander. I apologize for the misunderstanding. I will have her doctor paged down here right away to talk to you. In the meantime, would you mind filling out these Release of Information forms?” 

“Why weren’t these filled out when she was brought in?” 

“The Lieutenant hasn’t been lucid long enough to fill them out, and as her next of kin, you’re the only authority allowed to make decisions about her medical treatment in the event that she is unavailable. Everything will be explained momentarily, Sir.” 

Steve heaved a deep sigh and sat in the waiting room with the release forms on his lap. He couldn’t remember the last time he had to fill out paperwork like this, let alone for the military. The Commander had so many new questions that he wanted answers for, and patience was not his strong suit. He was just finishing up with the last page when a woman no older than Kailea approached him wearing dark scrubs and a long white coat. 

“Lieutenant Commander McGarrett, I presume?” The woman asked, extending her hand to Steve. 

“Yes, ma’am.” Steve answered. He stood to his feet, removed his cap and shook her hand. 

“My name is Dr. Christina Amell, I’m the surgeon handling First Lieutenant Kekoa’s case. I’m sure you have many questions and are very eager to see her. If you’ll follow me, I’ll get you caught up and take you to her room.” 

“Yes, thank you. What happened? How is she?” 

Dr. Amell led Steve down the nearby hallway and began her explanation of Kailea’s situation, “Reports state that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. From what we’ve been able to gather from a close friend of hers, Lieutenant Kekoa stopped by your father’s place a few days ago before heading to meet her friend at dinner. She arrived just in time to see your father gunned down by Victor Hesse. Hesse then turned and fired three rounds on the Lieutenant.” 

As Steve listened intently to Dr. Amell, he could feel his blood beginning to boil at the mention of the arms dealer who had taken his father’s life and attempted to take his girlfriend’s as well. Nothing mattered more to Steve than ensuring that Victor Hesse left the island in a body bag. 

“The first bullet entered through her right shoulder; there was no exit wound, and she suffered a severe fracture to her scapula.” Dr. Amell continued. “The second and third bullets were fired into her torso, she had minor tearing which we were easily able to repair. However, the remaining bullet shifted during surgery and punctured her left lung. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t too extensive and the tissue has since repaired itself. She’s been under close observation since, and we remain confident in our decision to remove her chest tube this morning. You’re allowed to go in and see her, but please be prepared for her to be out of it due to the high dosage of morphine we’ve had her on to manage the pain. At this point, I see no reason why she can’t be discharged in a few days.” 

Steve felt the breath leave his own lungs just then. He hadn’t noticed that they’d stopped outside of a private room until he looked up to see Kailea through the window, she was laying on her back with her right arm in a sling, propped up on a pillow. She looked so small and helpless, though he knew she was far from either. 

“Your girl is a fighter, Commander. With some intense rehab and physical therapy, I have no doubt that the Lieutenant will make a full recovery.” Dr. Amell finished. She lightly touched Steve’s arm and politely excused herself, leaving him standing at Kailea’s window. 

“Kailea...” her name left the tip of his tongue as more of a whispered question than a statement, and it took a second for him to realize that he’d entered her room and had been staring at her for so long without speaking. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her bruised face or the jungle of wires attached to her chest. She was so much better with these things than he was. He slowly approached her bedside; brushing a misplaced strand of hair behind her ear, Steve leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. 

Kailea stirred. It took a few moments for her to open her eyes and regain her bearings, the morphine clearly doing its job of keeping her well-sedated and out of pain. 

“It’s about time you returned home to me, McGarrett.” Kailea finally slurred. She sat up, taking him in fully with the proudest of smiles. “You look good, Steve.” She added, and carefully folded herself into his embrace. 

“So, you’re a First Lieutenant. Why didn’t you tell me you’d joined the Army?” Steve asked in disbelief once he’d had a moment to collect himself. He wasted no time, he had questions and she had answers. He still held her face gently in his hands, his eyes repeatedly swept over her features. 

“It never came up in our conversations,” she answered simply. 

“Which is what? Your polite way of saying you were protecting me? Protecting yourself? Damn it, I would have thought this is the kind of information you share with your partner.” Steve returned, quickly standing from her bedside and turning to face her. Frustration etched its way on to the Commander’s face, he couldn’t believe the things he didn’t know about his own girlfriend. 

“My partner was across the ocean, thousands of miles away. This isn’t the kind of thing you tell someone over the phone, Steve.” Kailea retorted. 

“Finding out from you would have been one thing, but this? Learning that my girlfriend is in the Army from the Emergency Room receptionist out front and having my worst nightmares confirmed by the surgeon who had to dig three bullets out of your body. What the hell were you thinking, bursting into my dad’s house like that?” 

Kailea shook her head. “I was thinking that it had been months since we’d heard anything from you and we were both worried sick. We knew the risks of you being in the Navy better than anyone, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t use the encouragement from time to time.” 

“And you didn’t think to call first? To at least see if there was any reason why you shouldn’t stop by? Or to clear the house before you barged in without a care? Don’t they teach you this stuff in the Army?” 

“See? This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. Because not only is it a conflict of interest, in case you were wondering, but you’re also going to treat me like I had no clue what I was getting myself into.” 

“Because you didn’t! Victor Hesse wanted to make sure I would suffer for the death of his brother, you’re lucky he had no idea who you were. You could have died, Kailea.” 

“Steve, if you came back just to scold me for not telling you that I joined the Army, then you should have waited until I was discharged to do so. Believe me, I understand better than anyone that I could have died. But you seem to be forgetting one very important factor here, I didn’t.” 

“You’re right, you didn’t. And I am so glad that you survived this, I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you. But you should have told me, we agreed that this was only going to work as long as we were 100% honest with each other. All I wanted from you was the truth, always. When will you learn to do as you’re told, Kailea?” Steve’s voice caught in his throat as he looked in her eyes, those same eyes he would have spent the rest of his life missing had she not made it out alive. 

“When you learn that I never do as I’m told, Steven.” Kailea’s own brown eyes filled with angry tears, she narrowed her gaze at the man before her. She laid back against her pillows, pushing the button on the wire next to her and releasing another slow flow of morphine. “I’m in pain and tired, I need to rest. I think you should leave, Commander.” 

Steve was taken aback by Kailea’s response, he couldn’t recall the last time she’d called him by his full name, let alone anything other than his name. Hearing Commander roll off of her tongue with such biting force felt like a knife had been plunged into his chest, her ire carved away at his rapidly beating heart and he instantly regretted the way he’d spoken to her. He swallowed past the growing lump in his throat and slowly approached her side. 

“Kailea, I…” Steve stopped short when Kailea turned a hardened, glassy gaze on his face. He could tell through the haze of morphine that she was not going to continue the conversation if she didn’t have to. 

“Please, just go. Thank you for stopping by… _ Sir _.” Kailea groggily reached up and gave Steve a halfhearted salute, then rolled over on to her left side so that her back was facing him. 


End file.
